Vermilion Sands by J. G. Ballard

Visit Vermilion Sands and embrace luxurious entropic decadence.

https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/some-dance-to-forget
--
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On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 9:26:08 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:
> Vermilion Sands by J. G. Ballard
>
> Visit Vermilion Sands and embrace luxurious entropic decadence.
>
> https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/some-dance-to-forget

This is Ballard at his most approachable, and I have fond memories of it.

But for some reason, when I was a teen, only Ballard's more surrealist offerings
were available (except the short story "Billennium" which was reprinted frequently).
I wasn't perceptive enough to get much out of those, but something about his
style kept me reading until I did.

William Hyde

On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
> On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 9:26:08 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:
>> Vermilion Sands by J. G. Ballard
>>
>> Visit Vermilion Sands and embrace luxurious entropic decadence.
>>
>> https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/some-dance-to-forget
>
> This is Ballard at his most approachable, and I have fond memories of it.
>
> But for some reason, when I was a teen, only Ballard's more surrealist offerings
> were available (except the short story "Billennium" which was reprinted frequently).
> I wasn't perceptive enough to get much out of those, but something about his
> style kept me reading until I did.
>
> William Hyde
>
I think the only thing I have read by Ballard is The Drowned Giant,
assigned for some class. I don't remember liking it, just a vague "No,
not for me". Of course, this is a memory from 40+ years ago so who
really knows?
--
Dave Scruggs
Captain, Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
Sr. Software Engineer - Stellar Solutions (Definitely Retired)

BCFD36 <bcfd36@cruzio.com> wrote:
> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
>> On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 9:26:08 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:
>>> Vermilion Sands by J. G. Ballard
>>>
>>> Visit Vermilion Sands and embrace luxurious entropic decadence.
>>>
>>> https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/some-dance-to-forget
>>
>> This is Ballard at his most approachable, and I have fond memories of it.
>>
>> But for some reason, when I was a teen, only Ballard's more surrealist offerings
>> were available (except the short story "Billennium" which was reprinted frequently).
>> I wasn't perceptive enough to get much out of those, but something about his
>> style kept me reading until I did.
>>
>> William Hyde
>>
> I think the only thing I have read by Ballard is The Drowned Giant,
> assigned for some class. I don't remember liking it, just a vague "No,
> not for me". Of course, this is a memory from 40+ years ago so who
> really knows?

Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_ (both worth a look), you
realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it less or
more interesting.

Cheers, David Duffy.

On Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 5:27:42 PM UTC-5, BCFD36 wrote:
> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
> > On Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 9:26:08 AM UTC-5, James Nicoll wrote:
> >> Vermilion Sands by J. G. Ballard
> >>
> >> Visit Vermilion Sands and embrace luxurious entropic decadence.
> >>
> >> https://jamesdavisnicoll.com/review/some-dance-to-forget
> >
> > This is Ballard at his most approachable, and I have fond memories of it.
> >
> > But for some reason, when I was a teen, only Ballard's more surrealist offerings
> > were available (except the short story "Billennium" which was reprinted frequently).
> > I wasn't perceptive enough to get much out of those, but something about his
> > style kept me reading until I did.
> >
> > William Hyde
> >
> I think the only thing I have read by Ballard is The Drowned Giant,
> assigned for some class. I don't remember liking it, just a vague "No,
> not for me". Of course, this is a memory from 40+ years ago so who
> really knows?

Both in his early years and later, Ballard's life took sudden and unexpected turns for
the worse. Opining recklessly, I think that he found surrealism as a method of
dealing with this, and TDG is one of his more surrealistic stories.

In real life, he was a widower parent of three children, dwelling in the suburbs.
School lunches, kids needing new clothes, trips to the dentist, and so on.

I am amazed that he didn't write more commercial fiction, and also amazed that
he had the time to write as much as he did, but apparently staying true to his vision,
and writing in the time he had, kept the wolf from the door.

William Hyde

On 12/21/22 14:54, David Duffy wrote:
> BCFD36 <bcfd36@cruzio.com> wrote:
>> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:

[stuff deleted]
>
> Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_ (both worth a look), you
> realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
> same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it less or
> more interesting.
>
> Cheers, David Duffy.

I saw the movie Empire of the Sun. Harrowing. And very, very good. But
very very tough to watch.

I hated Dhalgren. I couldn't finish it. I threw it across the room,
similar to what my Dad did with Catcher in the Rye. My feeling about
Catcher was “This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should
be thrown with great force.” Miss Parker definitely had a way with words.

--
Dave Scruggs
Captain, Boulder Creek Fire (Retired)
Sr. Software Engineer - Stellar Solutions (Definitely Retired)

On 12/22/2022 3:53 PM, BCFD36 wrote:
> On 12/21/22 14:54, David Duffy wrote:
>> BCFD36 <bcfd36@cruzio.com> wrote:
>>> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
>
>
> [stuff deleted]
>>
>> Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_
>> (both worth a look), you
>> realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
>> same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it
>> less or
>> more interesting.
>>
>> Cheers, David Duffy.
>
> I saw the movie Empire of the Sun. Harrowing. And very, very good. But
> very very tough to watch.
>
> I hated Dhalgren. I couldn't finish it. I threw it across the room,
> similar to what my Dad did with Catcher in the Rye. My feeling about
> Catcher was “This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should
> be thrown with great force.” Miss Parker definitely had a way with words.

Is Empire of the Sun the movie where they had the Japanese soldiers
bayoneting the Chinese crowds in Shanghai ? That was very unsettling.

Lynn

On Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 8:44:46 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 12/22/2022 3:53 PM, BCFD36 wrote:
> > On 12/21/22 14:54, David Duffy wrote:
> >> BCFD36 <bcf...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> >>> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
> >
> >
> > [stuff deleted]
> >>
> >> Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_
> >> (both worth a look), you
> >> realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
> >> same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it
> >> less or
> >> more interesting.
> >>
> >> Cheers, David Duffy.
> >
> > I saw the movie Empire of the Sun. Harrowing. And very, very good. But
> > very very tough to watch.
> >
> > I hated Dhalgren. I couldn't finish it. I threw it across the room,
> > similar to what my Dad did with Catcher in the Rye. My feeling about
> > Catcher was “This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should
> > be thrown with great force.” Miss Parker definitely had a way with words.
> Is Empire of the Sun the movie where they had the Japanese soldiers
> bayoneting the Chinese crowds in Shanghai ? That was very unsettling.

You're probably aware that 'Empire of the Sun' is semi-autobiographical.

Pt

On 12/22/2022 10:40 PM, pete...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 8:44:46 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
>> On 12/22/2022 3:53 PM, BCFD36 wrote:
>>> On 12/21/22 14:54, David Duffy wrote:
>>>> BCFD36 <bcf...@cruzio.com> wrote:
>>>>> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> [stuff deleted]
>>>>
>>>> Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_
>>>> (both worth a look), you
>>>> realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
>>>> same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it
>>>> less or
>>>> more interesting.
>>>>
>>>> Cheers, David Duffy.
>>>
>>> I saw the movie Empire of the Sun. Harrowing. And very, very good. But
>>> very very tough to watch.
>>>
>>> I hated Dhalgren. I couldn't finish it. I threw it across the room,
>>> similar to what my Dad did with Catcher in the Rye. My feeling about
>>> Catcher was “This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should
>>> be thrown with great force.” Miss Parker definitely had a way with words.
>> Is Empire of the Sun the movie where they had the Japanese soldiers
>> bayoneting the Chinese crowds in Shanghai ? That was very unsettling.
>
> You're probably aware that 'Empire of the Sun' is semi-autobiographical.
>
> Pt

Nope, I did not know that. So I assume that he is the young boy. That
was a tough time and place to grow up in.

Lynn

On Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 11:44:11 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> On 12/22/2022 10:40 PM, pete...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 8:44:46 PM UTC-5, Lynn McGuire wrote:
> >> On 12/22/2022 3:53 PM, BCFD36 wrote:
> >>> On 12/21/22 14:54, David Duffy wrote:
> >>>> BCFD36 <bcf...@cruzio.com> wrote:
> >>>>> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> [stuff deleted]
> >>>>
> >>>> Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_
> >>>> (both worth a look), you
> >>>> realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
> >>>> same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it
> >>>> less or
> >>>> more interesting.
> >>>>
> >>>> Cheers, David Duffy.
> >>>
> >>> I saw the movie Empire of the Sun. Harrowing. And very, very good. But
> >>> very very tough to watch.
> >>>
> >>> I hated Dhalgren. I couldn't finish it. I threw it across the room,
> >>> similar to what my Dad did with Catcher in the Rye. My feeling about
> >>> Catcher was “This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should
> >>> be thrown with great force.” Miss Parker definitely had a way with words.
> >> Is Empire of the Sun the movie where they had the Japanese soldiers
> >> bayoneting the Chinese crowds in Shanghai ? That was very unsettling.
> >
> > You're probably aware that 'Empire of the Sun' is semi-autobiographical..
> >
> > Pt
> Nope, I did not know that. So I assume that he is the young boy. That
> was a tough time and place to grow up in.

Yes, that's him. But the 'semi' is significant. IRL, he was never separated
from his parents.

Pt

On Thu, 22 Dec 2022 19:44:41 -0600, Lynn McGuire
<lynnmcguire5@gmail.com> wrote:

>On 12/22/2022 3:53 PM, BCFD36 wrote:
>> On 12/21/22 14:54, David Duffy wrote:
>>> BCFD36 <bcfd36@cruzio.com> wrote:
>>>> On 12/21/22 12:21, William Hyde wrote:
>>
>>
>> [stuff deleted]
>>>
>>> Once you have read _Empire of the Sun_ and _The Kindness of Women_
>>> (both worth a look), you
>>> realize where the feel of his work comes from. One might say the
>>> same for _Dhalgren_ as a filtering of 1968. I dunno if that makes it
>>> less or
>>> more interesting.
>>>
>>> Cheers, David Duffy.
>>
>> I saw the movie Empire of the Sun. Harrowing. And very, very good. But
>> very very tough to watch.
>>
>> I hated Dhalgren. I couldn't finish it. I threw it across the room,
>> similar to what my Dad did with Catcher in the Rye. My feeling about
>> Catcher was “This is not a novel to be lightly tossed aside. It should
>> be thrown with great force.” Miss Parker definitely had a way with words.
>
>Is Empire of the Sun the movie where they had the Japanese soldiers
>bayoneting the Chinese crowds in Shanghai ? That was very unsettling.

I have (inherited from my father) a three-volume set /World War II in
Pictures/ whose first volume starts with the Japanese on the mainland
and includes photos of the aftermath of such incidents.

Keep in mind that MacArthur thoroughly ... reformed ... the Japanese
after WWII. Apart from the inevitable far right idiots, they are /not/
the same culture today as they were then.
--
"In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
development was the disintegration, under Christian
influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
of family right."